A Sustainable Core

In a state where suburban sprawl and gated housing developments are more common than traditional neighborhood developments, Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based Core Communities has designed a master-planned community where connectivity and walkability are paramount.

Disaster Turns a Town Green

The community was demolished by the twister’s 200 mph winds, leaving some to wonder if the final curtain had fallen on Greensburg. Amid the tornado’s ruins, others saw an opportunity for a fresh start and began pushing the idea of turning Greensburg into a green town, a model for the future. The efforts have been documented in Greensburg, a series for the Discovery network.

Developers plan for stormwater runoff before they get hit by rains—or worse, massive fines.

This year, Pulte Homes handed over more than $1 million to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The agency cited the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., home builder for multiple stormwater management infractions at sites across the country, including discharge of untreated stormwater and improperly installed and maintained silt fences, sediment ponds, and washout basins.

Multipurpose Dirt

By Chris Wood

The mega-snapshot at Great Park is just one of many creative uses of land that are pulling in tens of millions of ancillary dollars for the design and development team—including landscape architect Ken Smith; Miami-based homebuilder Lennar; and San Diego-based construction management and consulting firm Gafcon— while the community is designed, phased, and eventually constructed over a multi-year build-out.

Getting Out: Three Exit Strategies for Getting Out of Tricky Land Deals

Albert Praw knows land deals. The CEO of Landstone Communities, a division of San Francisco-based residential development investor Hearthstone, has observed many of the deals coming to market right now. And one thing he’s not seeing much of is the “old-fashioned” use of brokers to sell land.